When you are looking to start a vegetable garden, there are many factors to consider. Thoughtful planning and consideration of things like location, size, and timing can make all the difference and allow you to start growing your own food at home with success!
Below is more information about the factors to consider when starting or expanding your home vegetable garden.
Location | Size | Layout | Raised Beds | Container Gardening | Crop Rotation | What to Grow | Cool Season vs. Warm Season | Planting Calendar | Record Keeping | More Information
Garden Location
When choosing a location for your vegetable garden, prioritize full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight daily) to ensure healthy plant growth and productivity. While some vegetables can tolerate partial sun, maximizing sunlight exposure is key.
Select well-drained, fertile soil; heavy clay or poorly drained soils can lead to root rot and reduce your harvest. You can enhance soil quality by adding compost, which can be found in bulk or in bags at local garden centers. Incorporate it each fall after harvest and/or in spring to improve soil health continuously.
Opt for a fairly level site to prevent erosion and ease maintenance. If your area is sloped, consider building terraces or walls. Ensure the location is weed-free by removing grass and weeds through methods like smothering, tilling, or digging.
Keep your garden away from trees and shrubs, as their roots can compete for nutrients and moisture, and they may block sunlight. Lastly, situate your garden near your home and a water source to simplify watering and harvesting, making it easier to enjoy your fresh produce in cooking.
Learn more from this publication: Where to put your vegetable garden (PDF).
Garden Size
Garden size should reflect the types of vegetables you want, available space, and your time for maintenance. A manageable starting size is around 100 square feet (10x10 feet), but many new gardeners benefit from starting even smaller, like 4x8 feet. This prevents you from becoming overwhelmed and allows for easy expansion later. Avoid the common mistake of starting too large; maintaining a larger garden demands more time and effort. You can always make your garden bigger next year once you better understand the time and resources needed.
Learn more in this publication: Small Plot Vegetable Gardening (PDF).
Garden Layout
Arrange crops for efficient planting, cultivating, pest control, and harvesting. Utilizing space efficiently is important, especially if space is limited. Vining crops like cucumbers can be allowed to ramble along the surface, or you can use a trellis to save space and make harvest easier.
Traditional Rows
Use traditional rows and, when possible, position tall crops to the north of shorter ones to minimize shading.
Wide Rows
Consider wider rows (2-3 plants) to reduce space dedicated to aisles.
Blocks
Planting in blocks (sometimes called square foot gardening) enhances pollination and shades more of the soil, reducing weed growth. It can be a very efficient use of space as no space is reserved for aisles.
Multiple Plots
Create several smaller plots instead of one large plot, making sure to include walkways in between. Keep beds no wider than 4 feet for access from all sides, and ensure walkways accommodate foot traffic and equipment like carts or wheelbarrows.
Raised Beds
Raised beds are an excellent choice for vegetable gardens, enhancing soil conditions and easing care and harvesting. They warm up and dry out faster in spring, allowing for earlier planting. Keep beds 3 to 4 feet wide for easy access without compacting soil. Multiple raised beds facilitate crop rotation and make it simple to expand your garden by adding new beds in future years.
Learn more in this article: Creating Raised Bed Planters.
Container Gardening
If you can't find an ideal garden spot, containers are a great alternative. Use potting soil, not garden or topsoil, and aim for containers at least 10 inches in diameter. Choose dwarf or compact vegetable varieties for the best results.
More information can be found in this publication: Container Vegetable Gardening (PDF).
Crop Rotation
Planting the same crop in the same area each year can lead to increased diseases, pests, and soil fertility issues. Crop rotation helps reduce these problems by disrupting disease cycles and balancing soil nutrients. Many soil-borne diseases persist for years, so rotating vegetables can lessen their severity and curb insect infestations.
Vegetables in the same botanical family share nutrient needs and are often susceptible to the same pests and diseases. For effective rotation, avoid planting the same family in the same spot for 3 to 4 years. While crop rotation can be challenging in small gardens, home gardeners must rotate their crops whenever possible.
Learn more (including a list of vegetables by family) in this article: Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden.
Choosing What to Grow
When choosing what to grow in your vegetable garden, consider these factors due to limited space:
- Do you and your family like the vegetable?
- How long does it take to produce?
- What season is it planted?
- How large will it grow? Does it need support?
- How many plants do you need?
- What has been successful in the past?
- How does it store?
- How difficult is it to care for?
Easy-to-grow vegetables include tomatoes, peppers, green beans, potatoes, and zucchini. Other novice-friendly options are leaf lettuce, kale, sweet corn, winter squash, radish, basil, and cilantro. Consider these when starting your first garden.
Learn more in these articles:
- Five Easy to Grown Vegetables.
- What are some good sources of flower and vegetable seeds?
- Suggested Vegetable Varieties for the Home Garden (PDF)
- Top 13 vegetables to donate to food pantries (PDF)
- Uncommon Vegetables to Try in the Home Garden
Cool Season vs. Warm Season Vegetables
Vegetables are divided into two main categories: Cool-Season and Warm-Season.
Cool-Season Vegetables
Cool-season vegetables thrive in cooler temperatures and can tolerate light frost, with some surviving light freezes. They usually mature before summer heat affects quality. Examples include lettuce, radish, peas, broccoli, and kale.
Warm-Season Vegetables
Warm-season vegetables prefer warmer temperatures and are not frost-tolerant; exposure to freezing temperatures can cause significant damage. Examples include tomatoes, peppers, squash, sweet corn, and melons.
Learn more in this article: What's the difference between cool and warm-season veggies?
Typical Planting Calendar
Cool-season vegetables can be planted in central Iowa from early to mid-April to early May, with most harvested by early summer (one week earlier in southern Iowa, one week later in northern). Some can also be planted for a fall harvest.
Warm-season vegetables should be planted after the last frost, typically in early May in central Iowa (earlier in southern Iowa, later in northern Iowa). They are usually ready for harvest by mid to late summer and can be picked until the first frost, often in early October.
Intercropping
Intercropping allows you to grow cool and warm-season vegetables together to maximize productivity. Plant warm-season crops among cool-season ones. The latter can be harvested before the former grows large.
Succession Planting
Succession planting of vegetables like radish or sweet corn every 7 to 10 days helps spread out the harvest, avoiding a large yield all at once.
Learn more in these articles:
- Early Spring Planting of Vegetables
- Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Planting and Harvesting Times for Garden Vegetables (PDF)
Labeling & Record Keeping
Labeling your vegetables, especially cultivars, is essential for tracking your favorites for future planting. While physical labels can be used, they can also be easily lost; using maps or photos can help you keep track.
A garden journal enhances your gardening experience, serving as a record of what you've planted and a tool for learning, planning, and preserving memories of your garden's evolution.
Organizing records in a three-ring binder or smartphone app simplifies planning. Include soil test results, planting maps, fertilizer applications, order forms, and notes on varieties you've grown or want to try.
Learn more in this article: Garden Journaling.
More Information
- Beginners Guide to Vegetable Gardening
- How to Kill Grass to Create a New Garden Bed
- Where to put your vegetable garden (PDF)
- Small Plot Vegetable Gardening (PDF)
- Creating Raised Bed Planters
- Container Vegetable Gardening (PDF)
- Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden
- Frost and Freeze Dates in Iowa
- Early Spring Planting of Vegetables
- Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Which vegetables will grow in partial shade?
- Planting and Harvesting Times for Garden Vegetables (PDF)
Photo credits: 1: Barbara Helgason/AdobeStock; 2: Joanne Dale/AdobeStock; 3: Aaron Steil; 4: Aaron Steil; 5: eurobanks/AdobeStock;